PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil ingredients are produced from castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil, respectively. Castor oil is obtained by the cold pressing of seeds of the Ricinus communis plant followed by clarification of the oil by heat.

Safety

Safety Information:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes castor oil on its list of flavoring agents and related substances permitted for direct addition to food. PEG Castor Oil ingredients (molecular weight 400-3,000) may also be used as indirect food additives in textiles and textile fabrics in components of articles intended for repeated use. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reviewed the safety of the related ingredients PEG-30 Castor Oil, PEG-33 Castor Oil, PEG-35 Castor Oil, PEG-36 Castor Oil and PEG-40 Castor Oil and found them safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products at concentrations up to 50%. PEG-30 Hydrogenated Castor Oil and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil were found safe for use at concentrations up to 100%. Please search this website for more information about the CIR review of these related ingredients which differ from other PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil only by the average number of ethylene oxide units.

More safety Information:

Small amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a by-product of ethoxylation, may be found in the PEG Castor Oil and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oil ingredients. The potential presence of this material is well known and can be controlled through purification steps to remove it from the ingredients before blending into cosmetic formulations.

PEG Castor Oils and PEG Hydrogenated Castor Oils are predominantly glyceryl triricinoleyl polyethylene glycols and tri-12-hydroxylstearyl polyethylene glycols, respectively. These castor oil-derived ingredients include various chain lengths, depending on the quantity of ethylene oxide used in synthesis. The average number of units of ethylene oxide is indicated by the number in the name of the ingredient.

Resources

Resources:

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration